Questions

Related to Apologetics

Begun on 7/25/02 and last revised on 8/5/02

THOUGHT

HOW are these related

reason and faith

thought and feeling

evidence and opinion

fact and theory

testimony and speculation

meaning and interpretation

interpretation and application

LANGUAGE

WHAT might the limitations be in using words to describe, discuss, debate

topics like creation, eternity, God, life after death, Hell, Heaven, Trinity?

WHAT do each of the key words of apologetics mean?

HOW can we communicate more effectively?

HOW has and does culture influence WHAT is said and HOW it is heard?

WHAT messages about God, creation, Jesus, etc. that are being communicated

in popular songs, movies, TV shows, videos, books and magazines?

WHAT has the Internet done to change the ways we communicate

and how will the ways we communicate change as the various devices converge?

HOW can the gospel be clearly communicated to the younger generation?

HOW can the questions that plague unbelievers be understood and answered biblically?

TRUTH

WHAT is truth?

Can truth be known?

Is truth the same for all people at all time?

Is truth singular or multiple (yours and mine and theirs)

Is truth absolute?

Does truth change as the situation changes? (situation ethics)

WHO really seeks the truth these days?

WHAT do we miss by not seriously considering the tough questions for ourselves?

REASON

WHAT is reason?

HOW does one reason?

HOW does one test assumptions?

HOW does one test thinking processes?

HOW does one evaluate conclusions?

HOW and WHERE do reason and faith

Come together

Diverge

Compliment

Supplement

Compete

Cooperate

Intersect

FAITH

WHAT is faith?

WHAT are the types of faith?

WHERE does faith come from?

WHAT does faith have to do with believing in God?

WHAT does faith have to do with rebirth?

REVELATION

WHAT is revelation?

WHERE does revelation come from?

HOW can a person increase the possibility of receiving a revelation from God?

GOD

Does God exist?

HOW can I know that God exists?

WHO is God?

WHAT is God like?

HOW can God be known?

WHO was Jesus Christ

Divine

Human

Both

Is there more than one god?

CREATION

Is matter eternal?

Is energy eternal?

Did the observed universe have a beginning?

WHAT are the current and historic explanations for creation?

WHAT existed before the Big Bang?

WHERE did the matter and energy of the Big Bang come from?

WHAT existed before the biblical account of creation?

WHERE did the matter and energy of biblical creation come from?

WHY did the God of the Bible create the earth, plants, animals and people?

HOW long did God use to create the heavens and earth? (literal six days?)

Is the earth young or old? (thousands of years or billions of years old)

Is the theory of evolution true or false?

Can the theory of evolution and biblical creationism peacefully coexist?

WHY does the fossil record not have any record of transitional life forms?

WHAT is the hard scientific evidence for evolution?

WHAT parts of the theory of evolution cannot be repeated or observed?

WHERE did the spark of life come from in the theory of evolution?

TIME

WHAT is time?

WHAT is eternity?

HOW can a person located in time discuss God who is not limited by time?

Is God eternal or was there something before God?

DEATH

Are all humans subject to death?

Is a human just a mass of biological tissue that will return to dust?

When a person dies is there are something that continues to exist?

If a person’s immortality is tied to family and friends memories

then who is remembering the billions who died during the last 4,000 years?

WHAT occurs after death:

Does the person reincarnate?

Is there nothing – annihilation?

Does everyone go to Heaven?

Does anyone go to Hell?

Does purgatory exist?

ETERNITY

WHAT is eternity?

HOW can a person begin to imagine, think about and communicate about eternity?

JESUS

WHO was Jesus?

Is Jesus alive today?

WHO is Jesus today?

WHAT does the Bible say about Jesus?

WHAT did Jesus say about Himself?

Was Jesus

Divine

Human

Both

HUMAN

Is a human essentially

Good

Bad

Good and bad

Neutral

Sinful

Is a human

Only a physical body

Body and soul

Body, soul and spirit

WHAT is a human soul?

WHERE did the human soul come from?

WHAT happens to the soul after death?

WHAT is a human spirit?

WHERE did the human spirit come from?

WHERE does the human spirit go after death?

Does a woman have a soul?

(historically some cultures have said no)

Does an African-American or African have a soul?

(historically some cultures have said no – during the slavery era)

RESURRECTION

Did Jesus rise from the dead?

WHAT are the evidences for the resurrection of Jesus?

WHAT kind of body did He have when He rose?

HOW does the resurrection relate to the believer’s future state?

WHY is the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ a pivotal doctrine of the Bible?

WHAT are the theories that deny the resurrection

and WHAT are the responses to each of these?

RELIGIONS

HOW many other religions have existed during the all of recorded history?

WHAT percent of those claimed directly or indirectly to be the only true religion?

HOW many religions are being practiced somewhere on the planet today?

WHAT are the major religions of the world today?

According to encyclopedias and their own literature of each religion

WHAT was their origin and history

WHAT are their major beliefs

WHAT is their understanding or view of God

HOW is it practiced

HOW is it like and unlike other religions

HOW can a person contact and please God

WHAT is claimed about life after death

WHY do so many religions exist today and throughout history?

If a person practices the religion of their parents HOW much of that is just cultural?

If a person is nominal in the understanding and practice of a religion, so WHAT?

WHAT is the purpose of a religion?

Is authentic biblical Christianity the same as cultural Christianity?

WHAT world religions promise to provide a personal and direct relationship with God?

WHAT is the role and responsibility of the priest in each religion?

WHO is the mediator between God and the follower of each religion?

WHAT kinds in thoughts, words and deeds are expected

from the most devout followers of each religion?

Repeat the previous questions but substitute Christian denomination for religion.